An unusually good library

 Among the cities I’ve called home, the one with the finest public library was Galveston, Texas.

I’ve enjoyed public libraries all my life. I’m grateful for all of them. But Galveston’s was the best.

Library lovers in Galveston were fortunate in three ways:

First, Henry Rosenberg, born in Switzerland in 1824, came to Galveston as a scruffy teenager while Texas was still a republic. He got a job as a store clerk. It turned out the unpromising young man had a flair for business. He became a tycoon. When he died in 1893, he left money in his will for a fabulous library, a gift to his adopted city.

Second, when the library was established in 1900, the city earmarked a nickel on the property-tax rate — 5 cents per $100 of assessed value — for the library. It was a modest amount in horse-and-buggy days. But with the city’s tax base approaching $9 billion, “the library’s nickel,” as islanders call it, is significant.

Third, the library has always had public support. I don’t know whether people who live on islands love books and libraries more than others. But at times it seemed like it. If there was an event at the library, people showed up.

I love public libraries, even — and perhaps especially — the poor, struggling ones. But most of the education I have came from libraries, rather than from schools. When I enter a library, I wander through the stacks and ask: Could I get an education here?

The collection in Galveston’s library was excellent. If you lived on the island, you almost had to read good books. Everyone else did.

• Note: We’re coming up on National Library Week, April 7-13. It’s a good time to write a thank-you note to a librarian.